The Germans here in Chicago are organizing fascist organizations, one after another. We have, the Friends of New Germany, the Bund, the Brown Shirts, and a great number of "front organizations", with American names, but nevertheless fascistic.

The connection the American fascist organizations, have with the "Vaterland" is indeed very close. Ever since the war and the defeat of what was believed to be the invincible German arms, excessive German nationalism has lain smoldering in the hot embers of deep-rooted resentment against the world. It was an emotion that no amount of reason and logic could cope with, not even the profoundest German philosophical system.

It has been said that other nations, especially France, are to blame for the present ascendancy of German fascism. Superficially, there is some truth in that. But unfortunately, like most superficial observations, the underlying 2factors are overlooked or ignored, and it mistakes the effect for the cause. The factors are internal.

Other capitalistic nations are governed by precisely the same economic motives as Germany. French capitalism fears German militarism and prefers to be on top itself in a military way, now that, with the aid of Italy and Japan, the British Empire and the United States, it has put Germany down--but words are not deeds, and it may be that the "middle class" will get a good deal more than they bargained for. The illusions of this class are notorious, for example, the one that the Germans are the world's foremost "Kultur" folk.

Let us listen to some of the things our own German fascists say at their meetings here in Chicago. We heard the following, at a meeting (Bund) we recently attended:

"A believer has the right to rebel against the church authorities who do not completely adhere to the victory of national elevation." "For us a storm 3trooper is dearer to God than a church which does not, with rejoicing, join the call of the third Reich."

"God created me a German. Germanism is the gift of God. God wants me to fight for my Germanism. In no case can participation in war constitute a violation of the Christian conscience."

When we hear such statements from German-Americans, we begin to wonder if this fanaticism can be absorbed by the second and third generations of Germans. We see on every hand that this is the case; we do see young Germans of the second and third generations parading in Nazi uniforms, but, the German youth here in Chicago are usually drawn into some "fascist front" organizations, with a high-sounding name, such as, "The Stalwart Americans," whose program, is anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic, "Jim Crow," anti-labor, and pro-war.

In Germany, Hitler has made the Germans the goat, but here it will be the 4Negro that will be the real goat. Our so-called "super patriots" are already showing the way to fascism. At a mass meeting a few days ago, a Scandinavian said, "If we are to stop fascism, we must pass the antipoll tax bill, the "antilynch bill" and fight to retain our civil liberties".